Apparatus for guiding a workpiece



March 15, 1966 c. L CKE 3,240,041

' APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A WORKPIECE Filed 001;. 4, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 J0 venfar:

C. LUCKE APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A WORKPIECE March 15, 1966 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 J7 venfor Filed Oct. 4, 1963 March 15, 1966 c. LUCKE APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A WORKPIECE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Oct. 4, 1963 .70 venlar:

United States Patent 3,240,041 APPARATUS FUR GUIDING A WORKPIECE Carl Lncke, litilden, Germany, assignor to Firma Maschinenfahriir Hasenclever A.G., Dusseldorf, Germany Filed Get. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 313,876 Claims priority, application Germany, Oct. 15, 1962, M 54,499 12 Claims. (Cl. 7212) This invention relates to forging rolls, particularly to the design of the device for feeding the workpiece in such a machine.

In order to render automatic the control operations in forging with rolls, power-driven devices are known which replace the operator who has fed the workpieces and held them while they are being worked upon. These devices comprise grippers, which serve for holding the workpiece and are moved by power-driven longitudinal and transverse slides. Difficulties are encountered in operation because the speed of the workpiece varies as a result of the longitudinal stretch which is caused by the deformation and added to the feed. This variation of speed is due to the fact that the reduction in crosssection during the forging with rolls is not constant throughout the length of the workpiece. If the longitudinal slide carrying the gripper does not exactly follow the speed of the end of the workpiece, permanent tensile or compressive strains will be obtained in the workpiece and will disturb the further processing and have a detrimental effect on the dimensional accuracy of the workpiece.

Owing to its large mass, the longitudinal slide cannot be driven by the workpiece but must be provided with a separate drive means. It is an object of the invention so to control this drive that the states of motion of the workpiece end and of the longitudinal slide are the same or approximately the same. According to the invention, this is achieved in a simple and advantageous manner in that the gripper for holding the workpiece is designed as a control means for the automatic feeding of the carrying slide for the gripper. The gripper may be connected to the carrying slide so as to enable a relative movement of the gripper and slide in the longitudinal direction of the workpiece. The gripper may be connected to a slide valve, which in response to the relative movement controls a driving fluid for a cylinder for driving the carrying slide in the longitudinal direction, said control being effected in such a manner that the state of motion and direction of motion of the carrying slide and the workpiece are almost the same. A compressed air or -hydraulic cylinder is suitably provided to reverse the movement of the carrying slide.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention the cylinder for driving the carrying slide contains a piston, which is attached to the cross slide and stationary with respect to the longitudinal slide, and the driving fluid conduits from the control cylinder open into the driving cylinder at the front and rear ends thereof. The piston rod of the piston of the driving cylinder contains a driving fluid conduit, which has at one end an inlet pipe and opens into the driving cylinder close to the piston. It is also recommendable for obtaining a simple design to provide for an interlocking connection between the push rod for the gripper and the slide valve and the compressed air piston. To enable the transverse movements from one pass of the rolls to the next, the carrying slide may be removably mounted on a cross slide, which is movable in the longitudinal direction of the rolls.

A feeding device designed according to the invention is characterized in that the mass of the longitudinal slide is divided into a portion having a relatively small mass ice and comprising the gripper for holding the workpiece and the push rod for said gripper, and a portion having larger mass and comprising the carrying slide and the driving cylinder.

Another considerable advantage of the device according to the invention resides in that the portion having a small mass enables an initiation of the movement and a variation of the speed of the workpiece substantially without inertia so that undesirable longitudinal deforming forces will not 'be set up in the workpiece. Any relative movement between the portion having a small mass and the carrying slide will advantageously initiate the required control operations, which control the drive of the carrying slide in such a manner that it will exactly follow the movement of the end of the workpiece.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in a simplified, diagrammatic form in the drawmgs.

FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing an apparatus comprising a roll stand and a carrying slide for a transverse movement;

FIG. 2 is a partly diagrammatic front elevation, partly in section; and

FIG. 3 is a side elevation showing the entire apparatus including an oil pump and a transversely movable carrying slide.

The arrangement according to the invention comprises forging rolls 1, 2, into the nip of which a workpiece 3 is pushed in the direction of the arrow C. The workholder consists preferrably of a gripper 4-, which is provided with clamping means, not shown. A push rod 5 of the gripper carries a slide valve 6 and a compressed air piston 7. The slide valve 6 is longitudinally slidable in a control cylinder 8 and the compressed air piston 7 is longitudinally slidable in a compressed air cylinder 9. The apparatus comprises further a carrying slide 10 with a driving cylinder 11. The control cylinder 8, the compressed air cylinder 9 and the driving cylinder 11 may be accommodated in the housing of the carrying slide 10. The entire carrying slide Ill is slidable on the guideway of a cross slide 12. The driving cylinder 11 contains a piston 13, which is attached to the cross slide 12 and provided with a piston rod 14. Hence, the piston 13 will be sta tionary and the cylinder 11 will be reciprocated by the driving fluid during the feed movements of the carrying slide 10. The piston 13 divides the cylinder 11 into two chambers 15 and 16. The piston rod 14 is hollow and contains a driving fluid conduit 17, which is provided with an inlet pipe 18 and opens into the cylinder chamber 15 close to the piston 13. The driving fluid conduit 17 extending in the piston rod 14 eliminates the need for any supply hoses which might be stressed in motion. The housing of the carrying slide 10 contains separate driving fluid conduits 19, 2t) and an outlet conduit 21. The slide valve 6 has valve lands 22, 23. The system is filled with a driving fluid, preferably oil, which enters through the inlet pipe 18. A pressure fluid pump 28 is disposed between the inlet 18 and the outlet 21 and is driven by motor 29. A stop collar 27 is connected to the compressed air piston 7.

The forging roll assemblies 1 and 2 are mounted in a roll stand 35, 36, which contains also the drive, which does not belong to the invention. The roll stand 35, 36 carries the pairs of cooperating rolls 4t), 4t); 41, 41'; 42, 42; 43, 43'; 44, 44-.

According to FIG. 3, the cross slide 12 can be transversely displaced in the direction of arrow D or E to move the workpiece 3 carried by the carrying slide 10 into engagement with the desired pair of rolls. In this way a workpiece can be automatically forced through different roll passes in succession.

According to FIG. 3, the hydraulic system is driven by an oil pump 28, which is driven from a motor 29 by a shaft 4-9. The oil pump 28 sucks oil through a conduit 47 from a container 50, which is filled with oil 46. The oil pump 28 discharges oil into a conduit 31). A conduit 31 serves for returning the oil from the bore 21.

The control of the cross slide is effected by a push rod 80, which engages the cross slide and moves with a piston 51 in a cylinder 52. In dependence on the position of a lever 56, the movement of the piston 51 is controlled by a controller 55 and conduits 53 and 54 A conduit 57 serves for supplying oil under pressure from the oil pump 28. A conduit 58 returns the oil to the container 50.

The pneumatic installation is connected to a bore 26 and fed by an air compressor 59, which delivers air to an air receiver 45 through a conduit 60. A conduit 61 leads from the air receiver 45 through a three-way valve 32 and a conduit 34 to the bore 26. By means of a lever 62 the three-way valve 32 may be set to establish a direct communication between the air receiver 4-5 and the bore 26. In another position the valve connects the bore to an outlet bore 63 of the three-way valve 32 so that the chamber 24 can be vented through the bore 26.

According to FIG. 2, the conduit 30 incorporates a shut-off valve 64, which is coupled with an electrical make switch 65 for a drive motor 66 of the roll stand. The drive motor 66 is coupled tn the roll stand by driving means 67. The entire apparatus is supported by a machine base 37.

The cycle of operation is carried out as follows:

On the furnace, the workpiece 3 is pushed into the gripper 4 in the direction C and is clamped in it. The push rod 5 is moved to its foremost position, in which the stop 27 engages the carrying slide housing and the carrying slide 10 engages a stop 25. In this position, shown on the drawing, a movement of the carrying slide is blocked because the chambers 11, are short-circuited by the control conduits 20, 19 and the valve chamber surrounding that rodlike portion of the slide valve which is disposed between the valve lands 22, 23 and the reduced diameter. Rotation is imparted to the rolls 1 and 2, which grip the workpiece and feed it in the direction C. During the subsequent movement of the slide valve, the land 22 covers the duct 19 and the land 23 exposes the outlet 21. As a result, driving fluid flows from the driving fluid conduit 17 of the piston rod 14- into the chamber 15 because an outflow from the conduit 19 is prevented by the portion 5 of the slide valve covering the opening of the conduit 19. The driving fluid flowing out of the conduit 17 forces the carrying slide in the direction B away from the piston 13 so that the carrying slide follows the movement of the workpiece. This movement is enabled because the driving fluid displaced from the chamber 16 can flow off through the control conduit 20, the valve space around 6 and the outlet 21. If the ensuing movement of the carrying slide in the direction B is faster than the movement of the workpiece 3 in the direction C, the land 23 will cover the outlet 21 so that the movement of the carrying slide 10 is temporarily braked or blocked. This causes the workpiece 3 to advance relative to the carrying slide 10 so that the carrying slide 10 resumes ites movement in the manner described hereinbefore. This results in a relative movement between the workpiece and the carrying slide 10, which follows exactly any changes in the movement of the workpiece. On the other hand, there is no resistance to the deformation which is effected at the time so that compressive or tensile stresses cannot be set up in the workpiece. Whenever a compressive stress would be set up, for instance, by an advance of the workpiece relative to the carrying slide 10, the control operation which has been described will be effected and cause the carrying slide to resume its movement immediately so that any upsetting and warping of the workpiece will be prevented. Tensile stresses will also be prevented so that the workpiece will exactly conform to the deformation enforced upon it by the grooves of the forging rolls 1, 2.

If the stroke of the carrying slide 19 in the direction B has been terminated, the chamber 24 of the compressed air cylinder 9 will be filled with compressed air from the air receiver 45 through the opening 26, and the slide valve 7, 6, 5 will be moved in direction A. This causes a reversal of the movement of the carrying slide so that it moves in direction A until it has reached the stop 25 What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising in combination with forging rolls, a work holder, a carrier for said Work holder, which carrier is movable in the direction in which the workpiece is fed during the forging operation, said carrier having a first hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a stationary piston in said first hollow cylindrical opening in the carrier, said carrier having a second hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a slide valve in said second hollow cylindrical opening of the carrier and having valve lands defining a valve chamber in said slide valve, control conduits between both hollow cylindrical openings of the carrier, the openings of said control conduits in the first hollow cylindrical opening being disposed at both ends of said opening, the openings of said control conduits in the second hollow cylindrical opening being disposed adjacent to the valve chamber of said slide valve when the carrier is blocked, driving fluid in said two hollow cylindrical openings and in the control conduits, an outlet for control fluid in said carrier, the mouth of said outlet in the second hollow cylindrical opening being disposed adjacent to the valve space of said slide valve when the carrier is moving, and connecting means between said work holder and said slide valve.

2. Apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising in combination with forging rolls, a work holder, a carrier for said work holder, which carrier is movable in the direction in which the workpiece is fed during the forging operation, said carrier having a first hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a stationary piston in said first hollow cylindrical opening in the carrier, said carrier having a second hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a slide valve in said second hollow cylindrical opening of the carrier and having valve lands defining a valve chamber in said slide valve, control conduits between both hollow cylindrical openings of the carrier, the openings of said control conduits in the first hollow cylindrical opening being disposed at both ends of said opening, the openings of said control conduits in the second hollow cylindrical opening being disposed adjacent to the valve chamber of said slide valve when the carrier is blocked, driving fluid in said two hollow cylindrical openings and in the control conduits, an outlet for control fluid in said carrier, the mouth of said outlet in the second hollow cylindrical opening being disposed adjacent to the valve space of said slide valve when the carrier is moving, and said slide valve consisting of an axial extension of the work holder and mounted in said carrier for displacement relative thereto.

3. Apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising in combination with forging rolls, a work holder, a carrier for said work holder, which carrier is movable in the direction in which the workpiece is fed during the forging operation, said carrier having a first hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a sta tionary piston in said first hollow cylindrical opening in the carrier, said stationary power piston receiving a piston rod having a longitudinal opening, the mouth of said longitudinal opening being disposed between the station ary power piston and one end of the first hollow cylindrical opening in the carrier, said carrier having a second hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a slide valve in said second hollow cylindrical opening of the carrier and having valve lands defining a valve chamber in said slide valve, control conduits between both hollow cylindrical openings of the carrier, the openings of said control conduits in the first hollow cylindrical opening being disposed at both ends of said opening, the openings of said control conduits in the second hollow cylindrical opening being disposed adjacent to the valve chamber of said slide valve when the carrier is blocked, driving fluid in said two hollow cylindrical openings and in the control conduits, an outlet for control fluid in said carrier, the mouth of said outlet in the second hollow cylindrical opening being disposed adjacent to the valve space of said slide valve when the carrier is moving, and said slide valve consisting of an axial extension of the work holder and mounted in said carrier for displacement relative thereto.

4. Apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising in combination with forging rolls, a work holder, a carrier for said work holder, which carrier is movable in the direction in which the workpiece is fed during the forging operation, said carrier having a first hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a stationary piston in said first hollow cylindrical opening in the carrier, said carrier having a second hollow cylindrical opening having a central axis extending in the direction of the feeding movement of the workpiece, a slide valve disposed in said second hollow cylindrical opening of the carrier and having two rodlike portions smaller in diameter than the second hollow cylindrical opening formed in the carrier and accommodating the slide valve, the annular edges of those portions of the slide valve which are connected by the first rodlike portion constituting valve lands, which define a valve chamber, said carrier having an opening in direct communication with the chamber defined by the second rodlike portion of the slide valve, that portion of the slide valve which is adjoined by the second, reduced rodlike portion, and the carrier, said opening being adapted to supply a pressure fluid for returning the slide valve to its initial position, said slide valve consisting of an axial extension of the work holder and mounted in said carrier for displacement relative thereto.

5. An apparatus as set forth in claim 2, in which the mass of said work holder including the mass of the slide valve is small in relation to the remaining portions of the carrier, which have a large mass.

6. An apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising, in combination with forging rolls, a work holder for gripping a workpiece forged and moved by said rolls; a control member connected with said work holder for movement with the same and said workpiece in one direction; a carrier supporting said control member for movement in said direction; drive means for moving said carrier in said direction at a selected speed substantially equal to the speed at which said work holder and control member are moved together by the workpiece; and control means connecting said control member with said drive means for slowing down or stopping movement of said carrier when said control member falls behind said carrier, and for causing movement of said carrier when said control member advances faster than said carrier in said direction whereby said carrier does not exert tensile or compression forces on said workpiece.

7. An apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising, in combination with forging rolls, a work holder for gripping a workpiece forged and moved by said rolls; a control valve member connected with said work holder for movement with the same and said workpiece in one direction; a carrier supporting said control member for movement in said direction; hydraulic drive means for moving said carrier in said direction at a selected speed substantially equal to the speed at which said work holder and control valve member are moved together by the workpiece; and control conduit means connecting said control valve member with said hydraulic drive means for slowing down or stopping movement of said carrier when said control valve member falls behind said carrier, and for causing movement of said carrier when said control valve member advances faster than said carrier in said direction whereby said carrier does not exert tensile or compression forces on said workpiece.

8. An apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising, in combination with forging rolls, a work holder for gripping a workpiece forged and moved by said rolls; a control valve member connected with said work holder for movement with the same and said workpiece in one direction; a carrier having a first cylinder guiding and supporting said control member for movement in said direction, a second cylinder, and conduits connecting said first and second cylinders; drive means including a stationary piston in said second cylinder, and means for supplying a pressure fluid into said second cylinder for moving said carrier in said directon at a selected speed substantally equal to the speed at which said work holder and control valve member are moved together by the workpiece; and control means including means on said control valve member for opening and closing said conduits so that during movement of said control valve member relative to said carrier the pressure acting on said piston in said second cylinder is varied for slowing down or stopping movement of said carrier when said control valve member falls behind said carrier, and for causing movement of said carrier when said control valve member advances faster than said carrier in said direction whereby said carrier does not exert tensile or compression forces on said workpiece.

9. An apparatus for guiding a workpiece, comprising, in combination with forging rolls, a work holder for gripping a workpiece forged and moved by said rolls; a control member having a small mass and being connected with said work holder for movement with the same and said workpiece in one direction; a carrier having a mass great in relation to the mass of said control member, said carrier supporting said control member for movement in said direction; drive means for moving said carrier in said direction at a selected speed substantally equal to the speed at which said work holder and control member are moved together by the workpiece; and control means connecting said control member with said drive means for slowing down or stopping movement of said carrier when said control member falls behind said carrier, and for causing movement of said carrier when said control member advances faster than said carrier in said direction whereby said carrier does not exert tensile or compression forces on said workpiece.

10. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 and including means for moving said control member opposite to said one direction relative to said carrier for returning said control member to an initial position.

11. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 including means supporting said carrier for movement in a direction transverse to said one direction.

12. Apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said carrier is a slide; and including means slidably supporting said carrier for movement in said one direction, and in the opposite direction along a straight path.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,459,641 1/1949 Hallead 91-168 2,397,106 3/1946 Haller 91-168 3,091,140 5/1963 Kralowetz 78--99 3,147,539 9/1964 Paille 8026 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR GUIDING A WORKPIECE, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION WITH FORGING ROLLS, A WORK HOLDER, A CARRIER FOR SAID WORK HOLDER, WHICH CARRIER IS MOVABLE IN THE DIRECTION IN WHICH THE WORKPIECE IS FED DURING THE FORGING OPERATION, SAID CARRIER HAVING A FIRST HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENING HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FEEDING MOVEMENT OF THE WORKPIECE, A STATIONARY PISTON IN SAID FIRST HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENING IN THE CARRIER, SAID CARRIER HAVING A SECOND HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENING HAVING A CENTRAL AXIS EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FEEDING MOVEMENT OF THE WORKPIECE, A SLIDE VALVE IN SAID SECOND HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENING OF THE CARRIER AND HAVING VALVE LANDS DEFINING A VALVE CHAMBER IN SAID SLIDE VALVE, CONTROL CONDUITS BETWEEN BOTH HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENINGS OF THE CARRIER, THE OPENINGS OF SAID CONTROL CONDUITS IN THE FIRST HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENING BEING DISPOSED AT BOTH ENDS OF SAID OPENINGS, THE OPENINGS OF SAID CONTROL CONDUITS IN THE SECOND HOLLOW CYLINDRICAL OPENINGS BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE VALVE CHAMBER OF SAID SLIDE VALVE WHEN THE CARRIER IS BLOCKED, DRIVING FLUID IN 